ASTRO responds to CMS request for information on the Medicare Advantage program
September 6, 2022
On August 29, 2022, ASTRO submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on how to reform prior authorization and modify current payment structures to address health disparities and stable payments under Medicare Advantage (MA). CMS released a Request for Information August 1 on various aspects of the MA program, including the advancement of health equity, expanding access to coverage and care, supporting affordability and sustainability, and how to tackle prior authorization. ASTRO reiterated that MA plan reforms need to include the collection of social determinants of health (SDOH) data, new policies that address restrictive prior authorization limiting access to medically necessary care and shoring up the steady decline of Medicare reimbursement for radiation oncology services. ASTRO also joined patient advocacy groups by signing on to the Cancer Leadership Council’s (CLC) comment letter that urges reforms to prior authorization and other MA priorities.